What does an oasis in a food desert look like? It could resemble a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/cargotecture">converted shipping container</a> mini grocery store. At least that's the concept behind <a href="http://stockboxgrocers.com/" target="_blank">Stockbox Grocers</a>, a new venture to bring essential grocery items and fresh produce to urban areas with poor access to healthy and affordable food. Last Monday, the miniature grocer opened its prototype market in the Delridge area of Seattle, which will be opened for two months to test out the model. Within a year, Stockbox hopes to convert at least four shipping containers into mini markets to place in <a href="http://inhabitat.com/mogro-mobile-food-truck-fills-food-deserts-with-healthy-eats/">urban food deserts</a> around Seattle.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

Stockbox's grand vision is to have stores located in urban deserts so residents have somewhere within walking or biking distance to buy fresh food.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

There's no need to build a giant grocery story, but a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/beans-and-greens-mobile-market/">mini market</a> can easily meet the demands of a dense community.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

Stockbox hopes to build these markets out of converted shipping containers and place them in parking lots of partnering organizations.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

Our goal is to bring food back to communities, and focus on communities that don’t currently have good access to food and are heavily dependent on public transportation," <a href="http://www.good.is/post/stockbox-grocer-s-food-desert-solution-the-shipping-container/" target="_blank">says</a> founder and owner Carrie Ferrence.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

On Monday, September 12, Ferrence and her partner Jacqueline Gjurgevich opened their first <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/pop-up">pop up market</a> located in the parking lot of the West Haven Apartments in Delridge.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

The market will be open for about two months as a test out the market viability, products and business model.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

This first market is built out of a prefabricated container, common to the construction industry and used for on-site offices.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

The next phase of the markets will be converted out of 20' <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/shipping-containers">shipping containers</a>, which will actually be a step up in size.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

By the end of the year, the start-up company hopes to have 4 shipping container markets located around the city.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

Each store can have 5 customers at a time, needs only 1 attendant and is open 7 days a week.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

"A lot of people who come in are breaking down the myth that people of low income and mixed income don’t want access to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/sustainable-food">organic or natural food,</a>" Ferrence tells GOOD.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

In the first week, the shop proved to be successful and interestingly enough, the most popular items were orange juice, lemons, Dave's killer bread, corn and Annie's Mac and Cheese.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

Rendering of the Stockbox Grocery store concept.

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Stockbox Grocers Prototype

What does an oasis in a food desert look like? It could resemble a converted shipping container mini grocery store. At least that's the concept behind Stockbox Grocers, a new venture to bring essential grocery items and fresh produce to urban areas with poor access to healthy and affordable food. Last Monday, the miniature grocer opened its prototype market in the Delridge area of Seattle, which will be opened for two months to test out the model. Within a year, Stockbox hopes to convert at least four shipping containers into mini markets to place in urban food deserts around Seattle.